'Cannot be derailed!' Emma Thompson on how Amber Heard's trial affects MeToo

express.co.uk:

Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial would deter alleged victims of sexual abuse from speaking out in the future, in fear of being judged.The 63-year-old Oscar winner suggested that the case had been "blown out of proportion" in the media and was "not representative" of the average abuse victim."One of the great issues to do with that case is fame and how people who are famous are treated differently and viewed differently," she stated."In order for [the MeToo movement] not to be derailed, we just have to keep on talking," she insisted."We have to refuse to allow it to be derailed by a case [of] two very, very, very famous people, which has been blown out of all remote human proportion by the press."She emphasised: "A case where the two protagonists are famous is not representative...

it's important to remember that."The determined actress continued, during a conversation on BBC's Woman's Hour: "This movement, which is about human kindness and is so simple [but] has been made so complicated, cannot and will not be derailed by one case."She made her impassioned comments after being asked whether she believed the verdict would change the culture surrounding speaking out.The movement had gained momentum, especially in the film industry, after the widely publicised trial of producer Harvey Weinstein.He was convicted in 2020 of the sexual assault and rape of numerous women and jailed for 23 years.The landmark case was considered a victory for women's rights at the time.However some have claimed that the tide was turned by the aggressive reaction of some members of the public to Amber's court testimony.While the tearful Aquaman actress claimed in court she had been sexually assaulted with a bottle, kicked, head-butted.